Mufasa: The Lion King
Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures | Release Date: December 20, 2024 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
56
METASCORE
Mixed or average reviews based on 51 Critic Reviews
Positive:
19
Mixed:
30
Negative:
2
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Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
100
The TimesKevin MaherDec 17, 2024
Here the Oscar-winning director Barry Jenkins (Moonlight) dives truly deep for a tale of orphanhood, family conflict and the reluctant fight for a throne. It’s often thrilling to watch a film featuring only anthropomorphic animals where the central characters are more rounded than most of their human counterparts at the mainstream multiplex (yes, that means you, Gladiator II). Read full review
88
The Seattle TimesSoren AndersenDec 18, 2024
After having been made and remade for the screen and converted into a long-running hit Broadway show, it might have seemed like “The Lion King” was a played-out property. “Mufasa,” under Jenkins’ poised and creative direction, proves there is still plenty of life left in the long-reining “King.” Read full review
88
RogerEbert.comMatt Zoller SeitzDec 17, 2024
Mufasa never quite bursts free of the constraints placed upon it, but those constraints never stop it from moving, or from being moving. It has a signature, rendered with a steady hand. Read full review
80
IGNRobert DanielsDec 17, 2024
Barry Jenkins’ Mufasa is a strong, uncomplicated effort that should charm kids. The Moonlight directors involvement in a CGI-heavey Disney prequel caused serious film lovers to wring their hands, but the results speak for themselves: This is simply a lovely movie. Read full review
76
TheWrapWilliam BibbianiDec 17, 2024
It’s in little danger of becoming a classic but it’s gratifying to know that Barry Jenkins made this film his own, telling a fine story with genuine emotion and visual aplomb. Read full review
75
Boston GlobeOdie HendersonDec 17, 2024
The voiceover work is good and, as far as franchise entries go, it’s quite watchable. Read full review
75
Chicago Sun-TimesRichard RoeperDec 17, 2024
With “Mufasa,” the visuals are screen-popping and glorious and stunning to behold — but yes, you either go with the idea of these realistically rendered lions dialoguing in English and occasionally bursting into Broadway-esque tunes, or you don’t. If it’s not your bag, nothing that happens here is going to change your viewpoint. Read full review
75
USA TodayBrian TruittDec 17, 2024
That Circle of Life everybody was singing about three decades ago? Thanks to Jenkins’ inimitable grace and Miranda’s tuneful swagger, it continues to feel vibrant. Read full review
70
Rolling StoneDavid FearDec 17, 2024
What the true legacy of Jenkins’ addition to the catalog may end up being, however, is a template for honoring the past while still managing to move things a few steps ahead. The circle of life, indeed. Read full review
70
The Film VerdictAlonso DuraldeDec 17, 2024
To bring up an issue that arose when Joaquin Phoenix flaked on Todd Haynes’ latest project — is this any way to spend two years of an artist’s prime period? Read full review
70
VarietyPeter DebrugeDec 17, 2024
At nearly every step, Mufasa’s challenges mirror those that Simba must later overcome, but the movie doesn’t celebrate Mufasa’s might so much as his modesty. Read full review
70
Screen RantRachel LaBonteDec 17, 2024
Assisted by franchise veteran Lebo M., Miranda brings his addictive melodies and spry lyricism to the movie and creates a soundtrack that can hold its own against the original. Read full review
67
Austin ChronicleMatthew MonagleDec 19, 2024
Mufasa is a small triumph for Jenkins and a small tragedy for Miranda, which means it’s a fine movie in an ocean of fine movies. Read full review
67
The PlaylistRodrigo PerezDec 17, 2024
Mufasa: The Lion King could have been a very great and worthy ‘Lion King’ successor, but thanks to the perceived requirements of what this franchise demands, it’s only just a good one, which is a shame, given its regal and majestic potential. Read full review
65
PolygonPetrana RadulovicDec 17, 2024
Handcuffed by the photorealistic animation, which emphasizes high-res fidelity over expressionism, and the ties to The Lion King, which constantly remind viewers of the original masterpiece, Mufasa can never quite escape the Shadowlands. Read full review
63
ReelViewsJames BerardinelliJan 2, 2025
For all its sparkling visuals, Mufasa is redundant. And that makes watching it (at least as an adult) deflating. Read full review
63
Washington PostTy BurrDec 19, 2024
Mufasa at least has the grace to offer audiences a fresh story, but children and parents may find it surprisingly difficult to tell one exquisitely rendered lion from the next. Read full review
63
Slant MagazineJustin ClarkDec 17, 2024
The film, unbound by having to recreate large swaths of the original Lion King whole cloth, was clearly allowed to be a product of its director. Read full review
63
The Associated PressLindsey BahrDec 17, 2024
Mufasa: The Lion King has one very important thing going for it: an original story. Read full review
60
We Got This CoveredFrancisca TinocoJan 2, 2025
It may not reach the heights of Disney classics of yesteryear, but Mufasa: The Lion King is a movie worth watching for the clear attempt to turn it into something it could never have been. Read full review
60
The New York TimesManohla DargisDec 19, 2024
The overall results are generally pretty, mildly diverting, at times dull and often familiar, despite a few unusually sharp, brief departures from Disney’s pacifying formula. Read full review
60
Los Angeles TimesAmy NicholsonDec 19, 2024
This is a guaranteed blockbuster that nobody needed except studio accountants and parents. I’ll accept it on those terms because it’s a good thing when any kid-pleaser gets children in the habit of going to the movie theater. Read full review
60
Little White LiesDavid JenkinsDec 18, 2024
It was an exciting prospect to see what someone like Jenkins would do while up against the Hollywood machine, but it unfortunately feels like the machine won this bout, if not by knockout, then definitely on points. Read full review
60
Screen DailyTim GriersonDec 17, 2024
The CG images still impress, and there are gripping moments during the film’s second half as the insecure Mufasa embraces his destiny. But like too many origin stories, Mufasa often rehashes what was once stirring about this materia Read full review
60
Arizona RepublicMeredith G. WhiteDec 17, 2024
As a retelling of Shakespeare's "Hamlet," "The Lion King" has it all: drama, an interesting love story, personal growth, dynamic characters and a satisfying ending — all things "Mufasa" ultimately lacks. Read full review
60
The Globe and Mail (Toronto)Barry HertzDec 17, 2024
Where Mufasa distinguishes itself is Jenkins’s eye for balancing emotion with action. Read full review
60
LooperAlistair RyderDec 17, 2024
After years of soulless retreads from Disney, this proves you can go some way to recapturing the magic of the originals by hiring a filmmaker who wants to expand upon those earlier stories, rather than lazily revisiting them. Read full review
60
iChristina NewlandDec 17, 2024
Jenkins is the kind of talent who can turn his hand to almost anything and Mufasa is a respectable film as a result. Read full review
60
The GuardianPeter BradshawDec 17, 2024
All in all, this is not a bad tale from the Disneyfied continent of talking animals, but a minor cousin to the first film’s movie-royalty. Read full review
60
Total FilmKelechi EhenuloDec 17, 2024
It's no Hakuna Matata, that's for sure. And it's far from Jenkins' best work, but in any other hands, a lot of Mufasa's intentions would have completely misfired. Thankfully there are some stellar vocal performances and VFX – but it could have been so much better. Read full review
60
EmpireDan JolinDec 17, 2024
Barry Jenkins’ verve only faintly shines through in an origin story that is mildly, not wildly, entertaining. Read full review
58
Entertainment WeeklyMaureen Lee LenkerDec 19, 2024
The visual effects and animation teams scale a monumental peak here, and their work, at least, is worthy of praise. But Nathanson’s screenplay is a spiral of ever-increasing peril. Read full review
58
IndieWireAlison ForemanDec 17, 2024
Mufasa has hidden charms that are arguably best described as Jenkins released straight to VHS. Read full review
55
SlashfilmWitney SeiboldDec 17, 2024
Mufasa will satisfy, but it also feels ultimately useless. Like Disney is once again spinning its wheels, trying to wring billions of dollars out of old ideas while they brainstorm new ones. Fans of "The Lion King" may be slightly moved. At the very least, you'll finally know how Rafiki got his stick. Read full review
50
Movie NationRoger MooreDec 27, 2024
Story matters, and this one didn’t need to be told. Read full review
50
Chicago TribuneMichael PhillipsDec 19, 2024
It’s solid craft, but it’s craft wedded to a style of filmmaking that feels wholly impersonal, even with a top-flight director at the helm. Read full review
50
The A.V. ClubIgnatiy VishnevetskyDec 19, 2024
One could even make the argument that Jenkins has made a fundamentally better film than Favreau while working with inferior, less elemental material. But that doesn’t change the fact that Mufasa is, ultimately, compromised by its studio formulas in terms of both story and style. Read full review
50
San Francisco ChronicleG. Allen JohnsonDec 17, 2024
Working from a script by Jeff Nathanson, Jenkins, who got his filmmaking start in San Francisco and directed the best picture-winning “Moonlight” (2016), efficiently tells a simple story very well, although his style isn’t that much different from that of Jon Favreau, who directed the first computer-animated film. Read full review
50
ColliderAidan KelleyDec 17, 2024
While better than its prior installment, Mufasa: The Lion King still feels like an unnecessary prequel to an unnecessary remake. Read full review
50
The Hollywood ReporterLovia GyarkyeDec 17, 2024
There are instances where you can see the director experimenting and attempting to disturb Disney’s imposing order, deploying close-ups, almost ground-level pans and strategically sweeping views to find warmth and tactility within a cold technique. Read full review
44
Paste MagazineJesse HassengerDec 17, 2024
Jenkins brings a little more color and variety to the proceedings, and even a smidgen of royal-family bitchiness in the early dynamics of Mufasa’s adopted family – though the lion who would be Scar, through no fault of Harrison’s, doesn’t exactly give us access to the fullness of his emotional journey. Read full review
40
Wall Street JournalKyle SmithDec 19, 2024
The big cats of Mufasa: The Lion King take a long walk from an arid and desolate climate to one teeming with life. The movie itself represents a journey in something like the opposite direction, from the bountiful gardens of creativity to the chilly environs of the corporate brand-extension department. Read full review
40
New York Magazine (Vulture)Bilge EbiriDec 19, 2024
All the technological marvels of the world can’t breathe life into a film that doesn’t know what it wants to be. Read full review
40
SlateSam AdamsDec 18, 2024
Mufasa was almost inevitably destined to be Barry Jenkins’ worst movie, and it is. But it’s not a black mark on his record, just a blank space on the timeline. Read full review
40
The TelegraphRobbie CollinDec 17, 2024
This expensive-looking follow-up, which tells the story of Simba’s father’s own coming-to-power, sheepishly papers over all of the now-unfashionable concepts on which its forerunner was built. Read full review
40
The Irish TimesDonald ClarkeDec 17, 2024
There is little character, no visible emotion, just endless show-offy technical competence. Read full review
40
BBCNicholas BarberDec 17, 2024
The worst part of the production is the dull screenplay by Jeff Nathanson, which has Mufasa plodding through Africa, bumping into various members of the supporting cast, and having tedious soul-searching conversations that sound like therapy sessions. Read full review
40
ScreenCrushMatt SingerDec 17, 2024
Turning Mufasa’s rise to power into its own movie makes sense, although doing it in this style, and with so much prequelitis about less-essential elements of The Lion King mythos, still seems like a strange choice to me. Read full review
40
The IndependentClarisse LoughreyDec 17, 2024
The Oscar-winner behind ‘Moonlight’ and ‘If Beale Street Could Talk’ can barely be found in this dreary and anonymous bit of franchise mining. Read full review
38
New York PostJohnny OleksinskiDec 17, 2024
On this overstuffed ride, we also learn where wise Rafiki, royal aide Zazu, evil Scar and even Pride Rock come from. Who cares? The backstories only make us crave the peerless 2D original. Read full review
20
Film ThreatAlan NgDec 17, 2024
Dear Lord, this movie didn’t need to be made. It is profoundly awful. The foreshadowing is relentless. Sorry, Barry Jenkins just can’t direct animation. Read full review
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